Freedom Planet: Tales of Lost Time
by JR150
Summary: What takes place between the events of FP1 and FP2? How do the girls develop and make their way through life as they get stronger, smarter, and faster? All this and more will be revealed along with arcs that focus on side characters as well. Where did Spade go at the end of FP1? How did Milla get better at fighting? Is Carol still as lazy as she always is? Click to find out...
1. New Developments

Chapter One: New Developments

It had been a few months after the attack of Lord Brevon and the Kingdom Stone's destruction. Everything was more or less back to normal. The Three City-States of Shang Mu, Shang Tu, and Shuigang had become peaceful. Things were starting to look up for everyone, as they felt a new sense of hope within them. As if nothing could ruin it.

But that didn't mean they were taking chances.

As such, there were those who sought to prepare themselves in the event that such disaster would strike once more.

Enter:

Shang Tu Dojo

Shang Tu (Duh)

Milla the Basset Hound was in the middle of another training sessions with her superior, Neera Li. The panda woman had agreed to help train not only her, but Lilac the Dragon and Carol the Wildcat as well. As of right now, it was Milla's turn.

"You're getting stronger," Neera commented as she flung a roundhouse kick at her trainee, "But don't get too confident."

With her fists clenched, Milla blocked each of the attacks successfully, grunting slightly as each blow landed-without the use of her shields. It had been a long time she had actually put them to use outside of defending against magic and energy attacks. But for hand-to-hand situations, she was able to defend herself without them.

"Th-thank you," Milla replied as she used what she had learned in the past few months. Just like she was taught by the Magister's best combantants including Neera-she had to gauge her oppoenent, and predict thier next moves.

A grin was plastered on Neera's face for a moment before she changed her approach. Jumping up, she would come flying down unto Milla with her spear pointed directly at her. Months ago, Milla would've simply used her magic to deflect the attack. But this time, she had different judgement.

Milla grabbed Neera's spear before it reached her, which managed to get a spark of shock from the panda woman. "Hiya!" With her attack in motion, Milla flung her opponent upwards, and quickly followed up with a jumpin Crane kick that landed hard.

"Unh!" Neera grunted from the surprising force of her student's attack, and was tossed back several feet into the base of a training dummy. "Hm..." She stood up slowly. Of course, she took the time to dust herself off and fix her hair upon standing. "Satisfactory as always, Milla."

The hound nearly jumped for joy. She was doing well, and she could see it clear as day. "Th-thank you, ma'am! I-I'm trying my best!" Her face shone a shade of crimson. Praise was something she didn't always know how to accept. Especially from someone like Neera Li.

They both exchanged a customary bow, and Neera spoke once more. "You have completed your training for the day. Please bring Carol in."

Milla nodded, "Ok!" and quickly raced out of the training dojo on all fours. Her friends were supposed to be waiting outside. Today was an indie training sessions with each of them facing Neera to test their skills.

Milla had no clue how she did.

But at the moment she was focused on finding her friend Carol. However, the green wildcat was nowhere to be found. "Huh?" Milla was confused. Where could she be? "Carol? Carrrrooooll!" She called out, but recieved no answer. This was concerning. If she didn't show up, she could fail. "Oh no oh no oh no..." She started to panic, but her worrying was cut off by a broadcast coming from a television on the wall.

 _"Breaking News: A special report from the middle of Shang Tu. A green, cat-like figure was seeing stealing a number of auto parts from a technology museum. One of the items stolen was an expensive battery made of unknown metals. However, we are not at liberty to disclose any information on the part itself. If anyone has any information on the thief, however, please contact the local police department. Now back to the weather-someone fix the damn camera!"_

"Eep!" Milla gasped in horror. Was that where Carol had gone to? She _was_ a thief at one point, but she quit that life...right? "No...no. It can't be!"

"What can't be?" Neera's voice suddenly boomed from behind Milla, causing the hound's ears to stand straight up for a moment.

"Eee! Oh, um...nothing?" She had no real clue how to address the situation...

Neera was about to say something. But just then, a communicator on her waist started to vibrate. "Hm?" She picked it up and spoke into it. "Go ahead."

Milla watched on as her teacher had a conversation with another officer. "Ms. Neera...?"

The panda woman blinked in disbelief at what she was being told. Putting her communicator away, she looked at Milla with a more stern glare in her eye. "Where is Carol?"

"I-I don't know! I swear!" Milla answered defensively.

Neera sighed, and her expressions softened for a moment. Milla wasn't the type to tell lies. "..So she ditches class to steal things of value? I know she used to be a thief but that's just..."

"H-hey!" Milla almost barked at her teacher. "Carol would _never_ do something like that. Ditching...I don't think so? But definitely not steal!"

Another sigh came from Neera. "Look...the report said they spotted a green, cat-like figure. Not to mention her track record. This doesn't look good for her."

Milla stomped her foot on the floor, "Well, let's go find out, then!"

"Sorry, but...I'm going to find Carol," Neera turned around and started walking.

"B...why?"

"Even if it isn't her, she may know who it is. She's the only lead we have so far without much evidence. The piece of machinery that was stolen was made of minerals found from all over Avalice. We can't afford to lose it." She opened the door to the dojo, and prepared to exit, "Be on time tomorrow, yes?"

Without missing a beat, Milla bowed. "Yes, ma'am!" But as her teacher exited, she started to worry. _"Why would Carol do that...? It...no!"_ Refusing any sort of reality that her friend could still do such a thing, Milla shook her head. Then, a small smirk grew on her muzzle. There was something that Neera was unaware of. _"I can beat her there with the shortcut I made!"_

Milla scampered off on all fours in an opposite direction, aiming to get to Lilac's treehouse before Neera did. Before she had met Lilac and Carol, Milla was heavily into alchemy and potion making. As such, her "shortcut" involved her digging a hole to her underground hideout in the pipes of Shang Tu.

Once there, Milla quickly raced over to her emergency potions that she buried into the dirt. "Where is it...where is it...aha!" After sifting through a few bottles...and digging at least a dozen holes, she found it. A bottle of blue potion. "Dragon Speed...I knew that bit of Lilac's hair would come in handy." She downed the bottle instantly, and let out the tinest of belches afterwards. "Oops, excuse me." There was no one around, but it was habitual for her to follow the ways she was raised.

The potion began to take its effects. In no time at all, she felt a blue aura around her. "Woah...ok, now how do I..." She gingerly but a foot forward, and suddenly started blazing it through the underground tunnel. Not as fast as Lilac, but enough to where it shocked her momentarily. "Woaahhh!" After a moment or two, though, she got used to the speed, and ran on all fours. "I have to get to Carol!"

At the same time, Neera along with a few other officer-ninja were sprinting towards Dragon Valey. "Carol Tea is our only lead. We have to find her immediately!"


	2. The Race Is On

Chapter Two: The Race Is On

It was a race to get to Lilac's Treehouse in the depths of Dragon Valley. Fortunately for Milla, her potion lasted a long time. Long enough for her to zip through the pipelines of Shang Tu's Aqua Tunnel. She kept at it, and soon dug her way to the surface. Dragon Valley wasn't too far away. But before she made another move, she stopped.

Milla took a sniff of the air, smelling for Neera Li, other officers, or any weapons. "..." After a moment or two, she sighed with relief. They were farther away than she had thought. "Whew...now to find Carol." Now that the potion wore off, she was able to walk normally. A few paces and minutes passed by before the hound had sniffed out and taken the shortest route to Lilac's Treehouse. "Made it. Carol! Carooooolll!" Milla called out.

There was no immediate response to the hound's calls, this made her worried, but she continued until she got up to the base of the treehouse. Concurrently, grunting and the banging of metal came from behind the tree itself. "Aw, man...stupid...nrgh!"

The voice was familiar. Milla immediately dashed behind the tree to find the voice and she was greeted with the sight she was looking for. "Carol!"

"Agh!" The sound of a clunk on some metal followed by a hiss. "Freaking..." Carol was busy working on her motorcycle. Her entire head was underneath the engine, and she hit it hard when her name was suddenly shouted.

"O-oh, I'm sorry!" Milla ran over to her friend's side, "Are you ok?"

The wildcat rubbed her head, trying to get rid of the stinging sensation taht riddled her skull. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a scratch is all. Wussup, Milla?"

"Uhh...Carol, there's a...uh..."

"Milla you're fidgeting," Carol put an arm around her to help her feel better. "Come on, you can tell me anything."

"Neera's coming after you!"

"..." Carol paused and opened her mouth wide, letting out a fake yawn. "Aaaahhhh. So I ditched one time. What is she gonna put me in jail?"

Milla shook her head side to side, making her ears flop around. "N-no! It's not that-well it kinda is-but more importantly, she thinks you stole a rare car battery!"

One of Carol's ears flicked at the words, "stole" and "battery." Those were some of her attention words. "Go on~"

"O-on the news, didn't you see it?!"

Carol put ehr hand to her chin, thinking to herself. She normally didn't watch TV. It was too stagnating. However, she did often have her radio play music when she worked. "Hm..." She looked over to the orange colored radio, "I think I heard something about some news report while I was flipping through my tunes?"

"Yeah, but the news lady said it was a green cat that stole it! You didn't...did you?"

For almost a split second, a glint sparkled in the wildcat's eye. Not her usual glint when something interested her. This was a different look. "Say what."

"A green...cat-like suspect?" Milla repeated.

"...No. No. No. No. No. No." Carol muttered while running to the treehouse. In a state of panic, she began climbing the tree like her life depended on it.

"W-Carol! Neera is coming!" The hound used her ears to float up to the blacony before her friend did. "You gotta get outta here or...tell her you didn't do it!"

"Oh, I know I didn't do it." Carol was inside, and flicked the remote on the television. She watched over the new broadcast that detailed the events of the theft. It made her ball her fist as she watched the footage taken from the museum where the battery was stolen.

She recognized those ears.

Milla blinked and watched the TV closely. "...If you didn't do it, then who did?"

No answer from Carol. Instead, she grabbed a few bottles of water from the kitchen. "Let Neera come here. This isn't her business."

"But if you jsut run off, she'll think you really did it!" Milla yelped, "Why don't you just stay here and help Ms. Li find out who did it?"

Carol paused. For the longest moment she stared into Milla's eyes, and sighed. If there was any sort of way she could reason with her fri. "...You uh...you want to make your folks proud, right?"

Milla tilted her head. "My mommy and daddy? Of course I do!" She gave her a determined look, "I _know_ they're proud of me. After how much I've done with you and Lilac...I feel pretty proud of myself too!"

"Good, but," Carol sighed again, "I wanna make mine proud too. And whoever that was that stole that battery is someone who I have to catch by myself."

Milla fell silent. She couldn't really argue it if it meant her friend could make her parents proud. But that didn't mean it was a completely sane idea. "...Even if that's true, I don't think trying to run off on your own is the way to do it. At least let me come along..."

"Milla...I don't think so. This is something...personal..." Her eyes darted off to one side. "I don't want you to get hurt."

At this, Milla narrowed her eyes. Did Carol really think that she couldn't take care of herself? It almost offended her. "I can handle myself, you know."

"Waitwaitwait-I didn't say you _couldn't_ ," Carol nearly bit her nails. She knew time was of the essence, and tried to figure out a way she could explain it. "Uhhh..."

"So what are you saying, then?" Milla folded her arms, silently giving her a message: She wasn't moving no matter what.

Carol groaned. "I'm saying this is a family matter, alright?"

"Really?" Her expression softened. Family was always important to her.

"Yeah...I dunno if I should get you involved in this, but..." Carol leaned against the wall, "I don't wanna just waste time waiting for that panda girl. I gotta go now if I wanna catch the thief."

Milla looked around-well, more off into space. Doing this often gave her some ideas. And this time was no different. "Ah!" The hound gasped and returned to Carol with a video camera in her jaws as if someone told her to fetch.

"Huh?" Carol took the camera from her. "What in the heck are we gonna use this for?"

Milla suddenly sprang up with excitement. "A message!"

"Yah!" The wildcat jumped and was suddenly clinging to the ceiling with her claws, dropping the camera in the process. "Don't do that..."

"Sorry." Milla giggled, and caught the camera before it hit the floor. "All you have to do is record a message and then go on ahead. That way we can follow you in case you need help."

Carol dropped to the floor. As much as she didn't want anyone else in on this situation...at all, she knew she couldn't be stupid about this. "Alright..."

"Yay!"

Later, Carol had sped away from the treehouse on her motorcycle, heading towards the mountains. A pained look was plastered on her face. Whatever had to do with the crook who stole the battery, she was more than ready to be on top of it.

Back at the treehouse, Milla was watching a movie on the TV when she heard a knock at the door. "Coming!" She chirped and skipped over. Upon opening the door, she found her teacher-Neera standing there.

"...Milla?" Neera almost looked shocked. Last she checked, Milla was still in Shang Tu. "How did you get here so quickly?"

The hound shrugged innocently. "...Shortcuts?"

"I see...is Carol here?" Neera asked, "And don't try and hide her again."

"Naw, silly. I wouldn't do that!" They had prepared for this. Milla did what she was supposed to do, and grabbed the camera. Flicking it on, a video began to play...

 _"Ahem...uh, is this thing-Milla. Is it on?"_

 _"Mm-hmm!"_

 _"Alright, uh. Look I don't have much time. But I know who the culprit is it's-Milla, I'm over here! Quit looking at birds!"_

 _"Oh, sorry!"_

 _"Anyway, the person who stole that thing wasn't me. It's someone...who I know personally. And I plan to get 'em and bring 'em back myself!"_ Carol balled her fist in the video, _"I'll be back...hopefully soon. If you follow then...just don't embarrass me."_

The film ended, and Milla closed up the camera. "And there ya go!"

Neera stared at the video until it ended. For a moment she looked off into space, and then grabbed the bridge of her nose. "...No offense but Carol's a bit-"

"Stubborn?" Milla rolled her eyes, "I know...but it's what makes her so fun to be around."

"Maybe, but regardless, we're going after her." Neera turned around and jumped off the balcony of the treehouse. "Are you coming, Milla?"

The hound was already down to the ground by the time her teacher finished the sentence. "I don't want her to get hurt! And I'll crush anyone who messes with her!"

Normally, she would be surprised at Milla's enhanced spunk, but Neera simply cracked a smirk. "If we're going to the mountains, we'll need a helicopter." Using her communicator, she spoke into it, "Get me a chopper, fast."

"...is that the big blade thingy?" Milla asked.

"Don't worry, it's not going to hurt you," Neera comforted her.

Within five minutes, a helicopter was hovering above them. "Alright, let's get going," Neera said as a rope ladder was draped down from the chopper. She quickly began to climb up.

Instead of using the rope ladder, the hound used her ears to float up to the helicopter and took her seat next to her teacher. "Woah...everything's so pretty from up here!"

"Heh, it's about to get prettier," Neera gave a command to the pilot. "Let's move, ladies!" And without hesitation, they took off...

Meanwhile, on the ground, a certain purple dragon girl-Lilac-had made her way back to the Treehouse just moments after the helicopter left, a bag of groceries in hand. "Huh?" Eventually, she made it up to her treehouse where she saw the video camera on the floor. Picking it up, she pressed play.

After watching it, she set it on the ground and sighed. "Carol when will you ever-eugh!" She held her nose, turning it up at a smelling odor. "What is..." From the kitchen, she could see a pile of dishes stacked up and the garbage overflowing. "...So they leave without me for the action _and_ with the chores?" Enraged, Lilac shouted to the sky, "Carol when you get back here, I'm gonna-!"


	3. Gross Accusations

Chapter Three: Gross Accusations

It wasn't long before Carol was out of Dragon Valley. The valley was big, but she had kicked her bike into high gear for an emergency like this. Something about it had triggered something within her. As if she were obligated to handling the situation at hand.

 _"i know she might have done it...but for her sake I hope not,"_ thoughts rattled through the wildcat's mind while she sped through miles of open desert.

At the same time, the helicopter in which Milla and Neera had boarded was following the general path towards the mountain. Sadly, they didn't know exactly where, but a plan was already in the works.

"So once we touch down, you'll use your nose to track down Carol," Neera explained, "is that clear?"

Milla was busy poking her head out of the door of the helicopter. Jaw agape, she let her ears flop around in the wind as the chopper sped through the air. Being a hound, this was normal behavior, and she didn't exactly hear her teacher over the wind bouncing in her ears.

"Ahem."

"Hm?" Milla answered the best way she knew how, by saluting. Since she didn't hear what Neera said, she figured it'd be the best option. "Uh, yes, ma'am!"

The panda sighed, and repeated herself. "I said, once we hit the ground, you're going in first to scout for Carol. See if you can find her."

"Okay," Milla answered then looked off into space again. There was something on her mind that she hadn't thought of until now. "Uh, Ms. Neera? What's so important about that battery again?"

Her superior responded. "It's a relic for the museum of technology. And it was deemed too powerful, as well as too valuable for anyone to use."

Milla's eyes went wide with wonder. "Wooooah..."

"Whoever stole this must have a reason. And I have a feeling if Carol wishes us to stay out of it, then it might be that much more dangerous."

And as sad as it was, it was true. Milla remembered the last time one of her friends went off on their own. Thankfully, Lilac had suggested her to accompany Carol, but when they left Lilac alone...

"..." The hound made a small whine, and balled her fist. That was something she never wanted to let happen again. "Good plan, ma'am. I'm not gonna let Carol get hurt!"

Neera crossed her leg on the seat, "Easy, soldier," she chuckled, "don't get ahead of yourself. There might not be _that_ big of a threat. I just want you to tail her, alright?"

Milla calmed down, and nodded with an aura of confidence about her. A fire was lit inside of her that she wouldn't let die. The willingness to protect her friends was of utmost priority to her. Since then, and now. Nothing changed in that regard. And now, she felt more than capable...

After about half an hour of riding, the helicopter transporting them all had stopped. Above the edge of a clearing where the desert ended and the mountain range began. The blades' rotation came to a slow stop as dust kicked up around the space it had landed on. Milla quickly jumped out.

"Once you find her, give us a ring, and we'll be right after you," Neera tossed her a communicator. Almost comically, Milla caught it in her jaws which almost made her teacher crack a grin. "We'll be scouting other areas, got that?"

"Mmmf-hm! Oop-" She had saluted, and realized the communicator in her jaws restricted her ability to speak properly. "Yes, ma'am!" she responded after removing it from her maw.

"Alright, move 'em out!" Neera pat the side of the helicopter, and it slowly took off into the sky once more. The wind made Milla's ears flop around and caused her hair to be frazzled.

Moments after, she scratced her ears with her hind paw like a real dog would in order to remoe some of the dust from her hair. "Whew! Alright, let's go!" Putting the communicator between her jaws once more, Milla scampered off towards the mountains on all fours.

Meanwhile, at Lilac's treehouse...

"Uch, that lazy cat!" Lilac was washing the dishes, scrubbing hard with a sponge that didn't seem to get off. "Rrrgh! Come on you stupid-!"

 _Crack_

The dish ended up breaking under the level of force she applied to it. "...Ugh. My arms can't take much more of-" A strong scent stopped her mid-sentence. It was the trashcan. "Oh my g-what is _in_ there?" It was a dangerous risk, but how bad could some trash be?

She placed the broken dish down. Then, she crept over to the can, and removed the lid. "...!" Whatever was inside smelled so bad that she felt her nose sting. "Agh! What the heck is this?!" Another look inside...she saw the usual trash: papers, old boxes, takeout containers. But something else in there...wasn't normal. A strange green-yellow substance that looked as if it was steaming still.

It twitched.

"YAH!" Lilac jumped behind the counter, eyes wider than the plate she just broke. "D-did taht thing just move?!" Naturally, she was creeped out, but did her best to calm herself down. After all, it was just trash. "Whew...keep it together, Lilac. Just take it out, and you won't ever have to see it again..." Having renewed her confidence, Lilac made her way over to the trashcan once more. "Alright, let's try this again..."

She moved to grab the handles of the trash bag in order to tie it up. So far so good. Now that it was tied up, she picked it up in her hands. "Hrrgh! Huh...heavier than I expected." The bag was almost as big as she was, and the smell was too much to bear. "Rrgh...come on...darn...bag." Moving carefuly, Lilac was out to the balcony of her treehouse. Now all she had to do was walk down the stairs, and toss it in the dump.

"Ok..." Her legs were shaking. The weight wasn't even the problem. It was the unbearable stench that wafted from the bag to her nose. Wooden creaking below her feet creaked as she made her way down the steps at a snail's pace. "Almost...w-!"

She tripped.


	4. The Cold Open

Chapter Four: The Cold Open

Scaling the mountain wasn't that hard for Carol. Somehow, someway. By some gravity defying laws of nature that no one can really understand, her bike could easily traverse upon any surface, including walls and underwater. Regardless of how it was done, she managed to do so. "I know you're here," she said to herself while parking her motorcycle. After dismounting, she started walking along the trail, kicking dirt and rocks out of the way. "I bet she was trying to frame me..."

At the same time, Milla was hot on the trail. Luckily for her, her wildcat friend's bike had left some serious tire marks in the walls and floors of the mountain. It was easy to follow considering she knew the smell of her tires. "Mmm...mm-hmm!" With the communicator still in her jaws, she kept at it, rushing along the trail on all fours.

Meanwhile...

"Agh! Ow! Oof! Dang it!" Lilac had tripped and fell down each and every stair that led up to her treehouse. The smell of the garbage had caused her to lose focus and fall to her doom. Fortunately, it didn't hurt, but the impact had caused the garbage bag to burst open, sending a flurry of disgusting papers, old food, and whatever that greenish-yellow substance was to fall all over her.

"..." At the bottom of the stairs, she froze. Sitting in the pile of trash, Lilac slowly lifted her hands up to her face as if she was bleeding.

A scream that was loud enough to send birds flying through the sky riddled the forest.

"AHHHHH! Ew! Ew! Ew! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" She couldn't stand the stench being on her. Almost immediately, she tossed off the parts of her clothes that had trash on them. Gloves and boots both. Then she shook her head around, flinging the excess trash from her hair. "Guh! This. Is. Beyond. Gross!"

Panicking all the way back up, Lilac dashed into her house to her shower. "Carol you are gonna get it when you get back here!"

Back in the mountains, the wildcat had made her way up the more rugged area of the trail. With her nimble feline physique, it was easy for her to pounce and traverse it. All around her, jagged walls of stone with perilous stretches of narrow landscape rounded out the area. Under normal circumstances, it would be nearly impossible to simply walk due to how fragile and weak the rock was. One would almost need pristine reflexes in order to keep the rock from breaking beneath their weight. Someone like-

"Me-duh! Ugh, how much farther do I have to go..." She idly sharpened her claws. Finally she was able to catch a break while holding onto a stray branch growing out of the side of the mountain. "She's close, I can feel it..." She looked around. The view from where she was looked like a marvel. Overlooking the entire forest, she could easily make out Lilac's Treehouse in the distance with her keen eyes. "I wonder if Lilac made it back yet," she began resuming her way up the mountain. "Been a while since I've-"

A scent caught her attention. The smell was familiar enough to make her stop dead cold in her tracks. "..." Carol kept going, picking up her pace as she neared the next portion of the mountain. Then, something on the ground caught her eye. "What the-..." It was a long, thin piece of fine hair. More than likely belonging to a cat. But what really grabbed her attention was the color. "...tea green." Without wasting anymore time, her pace doubled, quickly scrambling and poucning along the rocks. "Hyah! Nyah! Yah!"

Similarly, Milla was having little trouble getting up the mountain. Using her ears, she was able to float up and over the jagged rocks. Since she didn't wear anything on her feet, stepping on some things like rocks of this sharpness wasn't generally appealing. Plus it was easy to straight break the system and get ahead. She took a sniff. "Carol's close...she went...that way." Once she found clear ground, she began scampering forward on all fours.

However, there was something...watching her from above. Something that made her a bit nervous as she approached the ledge. "..." She paused, keeping her ears and nose open. For a moment there was nothing but silence. An almost eerie silence that put Milla on edge. There was someone watching her.

In preparation, she assumed her Crane stance, standing on one leg. It wasn't long before her stalker revealed themselves.

A ladybug-like robot the size of a small car had dropped down in front of her, shaking the ground around it. It opened its wings and shined its red, bading eyes at her. It was ready to attack.

This shocked Milla for a moment, but she was more than ready to fight back. However, something about it that put her off. _"Is this one of Brevon's? I thought we destroyed everything he had?"_ Still, despite her confusion, she was prepared...

Back at her treehouse, Lilac stepped out of the shower with a towel tightly clutched around herself. "Ugh...it took four showers, but I'm finally-" she blinked. Something else she realized wasn't done. Lilac raced out of the bathroom and to the laundry room where the clothes were supposed to be.

Dripping wet, Lilac's eyes locked dead onto the sight in front of her, still clutching the towel.

...Nearly everything she wore was still dirty, sitting in a pile. And guess who was supposed to do the laundry.

The dragon stomped her foot, nearly breaking through the wooden floor of her treehouse. "...CAROL!"


	5. Critical Choices

Chapter Five: Critical Choices

The day went from bad to worse. First the dishes, then the garbage, now the lack of clean clothes to wear. But there had to be something she could put on, right? "Come on, come oooon. There has tobe something in here I can-" Then she happened upon something. Something that she had been trying to forget about for years now. A reminder of who she used to be, and something that she never wanted to go back to.

"..."

Her uniform from the Red Scarves. The outfit included a red scarf-naturally, a kimono-like uniform with seams that were cut into the sides to allow her legs to be visible, and red and black boots. It was hidden away in a far corner of her closet, and she never thought she would lay eyes upon it again.

"...I'd rather go commando." She muttered and placed the uniform back into its secret area. A part of her wanted to desperately throw it out, but something about it kept her coming back to look at it from time to time. But it wasn't something she planned to wear. "Hmph..." With the towel still clutched tightly around her form, she went to the laundry room, sighing at the massive pile of smelly clothes. "Guess I better take care of this..."

Meanwhile, Milla was still staring down the ladybug robot that had crossed her path. She normally wasn't all that into fighting, but if the situation called for it, she would defend herself. So, she decided to try and reason with it. "Uh, Mr-or Ms. Ladybug-bot? Can you move please? I need to find my friend."

The robot's eyes flashed red three times. It didn't heed her warning in the slightest. Instead, it spread its metal wings, preparing to go on the offensive.

"I warned you," Milla grew more serious, ready to retaliate with her Crane style.

The robot flew towards her, wings spread as if it was going to ram her into the side of the mountain. It was barrelling in her direction at a pace that could barely be tracked by even the keenest of eyes.

Fortunately, Milla knew how to handle enemies that were too fast for her. From her hand sprouted a green field of energy, then she coupled it with her phantom cubes in order to make the shield even bigger. At the last possible second before the robot crashed into her, she used it to launch a burst of green magic, that stopped it dead in its tracks. She didn't waste time with following up either. Once it was frozen she leaped up, delivering a deadly kick square in the face of the robot.

Her attack was so hard that it left a dent in the robot's frame. Not only that, but that sent its circuits out of control. "ERROR! ERROR!"

Milla landed on the ground. A robot was one thing, but a robot with no sense of direction was worse. "Huh? Uh-oh..."

"INITIATING SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE." The robot announced, and began making a piercing beep noise that radiated off of the walls of the mountain. "5...4...3..."

"Ah!" Milla had to think fast. She felt the best place to go was up. So without dawdling, she jumped in the air and floated to avoid the imminent explosion.

"2...1..."

 _BOOM_

The explosion was enough to rattle the entire mountainside, nearly causing a small quake as the orange and red burst of flame formulated itself into a ball.

Near the top of the mountain, Carol had seen this explosion, and it caught her attention. One of her ears flicked. "..Huh? What in the heck was that?" She pounced onto a nearby rock to get a better look before seeing a certain dog-shaped object floating in the air. "...I knew it." The sight made her pinch the bride of her nose-er, face? It was too much to simply ignore. She had to go assess the situation.

"I swear Lilac is rubbing off on me-and that's not a joke for you to enjoy." Putting her current goal aside, she raced back down the mountain towards the source of the explosion.

After getting the clothes in the washing machine, Lilac flopped on the couch with a cup of water. Wearing a towel was getting somewhat uncomfortable for obvious reasons. Not to mention it was cold. Fortunately she had set everything to 'HurrytheHeckUp' setting on her washer. All she could do now was wait.

"Ugh," she sighed, grabbing her TV remote, "nothing a little mindless TV won't fix." Flicking it on, she lied on the couch, taking a sip of water. On the news, she saw the report of the stolen battery and how Neera Li was already on the case at this point.

"...PPFFFFF!" Classic spit take. "So _that's_ where they went." Lilac looked up at the ceiling, "..."

 _'Can't you be little Ms. Heropants some other time?'_

"...I doubt she'd want anymore help," Lilac said to herself. "...Plus I still have to handle the laundry, sweep, mop, cook dinner." She rolled onto her front. "...Maybe her being so lazy isn't so bad. Heh, gives me loads of other things to do besides rush into danger."

Another flick of the remote and the channel changed to a TV show about storage. "Besides, I'd bet she'd tell me she can take care of herself anyway..." She rested her head on her arms, content with waiting for her friends to return.


	6. Opportunities

Chapter Six: Opportunities

 _Eight days...it's been eight days since I've been out here. Everything's gotten better since I last saw him. But that doesn't change a thing between us. Yes, I'd do anything for him. We're family. But beyond that, it's nothing more than a simple right of passage. But one thing I don't understand is why they had to butt in. Why were they so eager to try and help me?_

 _..._

 _It doesn't matter. They're no longer affilaited with me or the group anyway. They aren't relevant to me. Besides, I've got more important business to take care of. As soon as the call is made..._

"Sir, the training session for the newbies is starting."

"On my way," a chuckle, and he placed his notebook down, heading out to the arena.

Meanwhile, Carol had finally caught up to the source of the explosion. Putting her hand above her head to block out the sun, she looked up and around the area to find her friend. "Milla, where are you..."

"MEEP!" The hound squealed, poking her head out of some bushes nearby.

"Gah!" Carol hissed and jumped onto the nearest upper ledge, claws unsheathed and fur standing on end. "Who's there?!"

Milla couldn't help but giggle at her friend. It was always so very easy to scare Carol. Not to mention seeing her jump like that was hilarious. "Gotcha!"

"Uc-Milla!" The wildcat hissed. This was the fifth time this week she had been scared silly by Milla. The fact that she was a dog did not help in the slightest. "What're you doing-oh wait, I know why you're here."

Milla barked once. "Yep! I followed you like I said!"

Carol slid down the rocks to her friend. She would've sighed, but she was actually grateful for Milla's presence. Though, whether she'd show it... "Yeah I know," she folded her arms. "Just please don't get too wrapped up, alright?"

The hound wasn't moved. A few sniffs gave a telltale impression of how Carol was really feeling. It made her giggle again. She _was_ happy she'd shown up. "Ok~!"

"Alright, let's go," Carol turned around and kept walking along the path. "So what was that explosion?"

Milla followed her closely, explaining the situation. "Oh, that was just some big robot. It exploded after I kicked it."

"...Hubbawha. No way-how-wha...HOW?"

"Hm? I kicked it," she repeated, "Then it went into self-destruct crazy mode."

"...Oh." Carol was freightened, then felt somewhat relieved. However, the mere idea that Milla could kick something hard enough to where it would malfunction and explode was terrifying considering how young she was. But at the same time, it was admirable- "Awesome. Awesome would be the better word. I wish I could've seen it!"

Milla blushed, feeling warmed by the praise. "It's no big deal. The robot wasn't that big."

"Still!" Carol insisted. "I think it was great!"

The blush on Milla's face grew. Hoping to change the topic of conversation, she brought something else up. "So...do you know who took the battery?"

Carol took a long pause, closing her eyes as she kept walking. "Remember when I told you about my sister?"

"...Oh? Yeah! You said she was a pilot!"

"Yeah, but she's more than that..." They neared where Carol had been just a few short moments ago. The top of the mountain was close, and Carol's heartbeat increased with every step.

"Go on...?" Milla tilted her head.

Carol sighed and picked up her pace. She pounced on nearby rocks, scaling the side of the mountain with ease. "Come on. You'll see once we're at the top."

"Ok!" Milla barked and used her ears to fly after her friend.

Back at Lilac's treehouse, the TV was all but boring her. The dragon was taking a snooze on her couch, waiting for the clothes to finish in the washing machine.

 _DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!_

The alarm for the washer went off, making the dragon spasm out of her sleep. "Ah! Wh-?!" Rolling off the couch, she fell face first onto the floor. "SPADE FOR THE LAST TIME I SAID NO-" she blinked. "Oh...clothes are done."

Letting out a tiny roar of a yawn, she got off the floor, tightening the towel around herself. From there, she went to the laundry room, and began removing the clothes from the washer. A clothesline they used to let them dry in the wind hung above her head. And so it began. Every sock, pair of pants, tops, all of it was soon tied to pins and rolled out on the line using the horizontal pulley. Fortunately, it was a no brainer with her dragon speed.

"Ugh...and there's still dinner." She scratched her head, looking into the kitchen. An empty, dead kitchen with nothing on the counters. Just the mere thought of cooking for the 15th night in a row was a pain. "...Screw it. I'm ordering a pizza." She grabbed her cell phone, but then realized several things.

One. Her friends weren't home yet. The pizza place would be closing soon so she had to make her order.

Two. Her clothes weren't dry. If she ordered it now and it got there, how would she approach the delivery person?

Three. They always had a quarrel when it came to the pizza toppings. Milla always wanted meat lovers', Carol always wanted anchovies, and Lilac simply enjoyed plain pepperoni. But the problem was, splitting the pizza into thirds with each third having the part they wanted only netted them three (and a small sliver) slices each. And they ate way more than just that. This is a dragon, wildcat, and a dog after all.

Lilac bit her slightly clawed nails. There was no "right" answer to this. It was either cook or go outside in a towel. "...Think, girl, think..."


	7. Danger Close

Chapter Seven: Danger Close

"Screw it. I'll work it." Lilac made her decision. Her plan was simple: Staple the bottom of the towel shut, paint it up to be like a dress, pay the delivery fee and never speak of it again. "It'll work." After dialing the number to the pizza place, she placed an order. "One large anchovy, one large meat lovers, and one pepperoni. Thank you. Delivery it to the edge of the Relic Maze." She hung up, and flopped back on the couch.

"Who knows, maybe I can pull this off. Just run out there, toss the money at him, and run back before anything happens." She looked over to the TV; it was still playing random cartoons. Outside, the sun started to set. Half her mind told her to get up and go check on her friends. But not today. No. She was planning to kick that habit. "Heh. I'm not little Ms. Heropants today." She looked down at her feet, kicking her legs a little. "I wonder if I have time to do my nails...and my hair. Hm..."

"...so that's why."

"Yeah," Carol and Milla had made their way to a higher ledge, nearing the top of the mountain. "Cory and I don't talk much. We tend to just...pretend we don't exist to each other."

Milla whined, "But that's terrible! Family should stick together!"

Carol folded her arms. "Certainly didn't stick around when I ended up in the Red Scarves. Heck, I didn't even know she existed until I was five."

"Hm..." Milla started rubbing her head against Carol's leg. Akin to how dogs would try and comfort their owners.

However, Carol wasn't exactly too fond of the rubbing. It made her blush, feeling awkward to say the least. "Uhhh...what are you doing?"

"S-sorry!" Milla whined again, feeling embarrassed for her sheer sense of canine habit. "I was just trying to make you feel better."

"..." Carol's expression of shock turned to that of a smile. "Thanks. But once we get the battery back I'll be more than happy."

"Ok!" Just then, Milla felt a scent hit her nose. It was oddly metallic and smelled familiar to Carol's bike engine. "..." Putting her face almost into the ground, she started to sniff for the trail.

"Huh? Got something?" Carol asked, following her closely. There was no response from Milla. The hound was too focused on following the smell of what she found to reply. So she simply kept following her friend, looking on in silence.

"There!" Milla suddenly barked out of nowhere, pointing her nose upwards toward the very peak of the mountain. "It's coming from up there!"

"Oh?" Carol jumped up to the ledge, gripping on with her claws and pulled herself up. Following her was Milla, flying up to the ledge using her ears.

They were now at the top.

And once there, they found their target. "Here it is!" Milla yipped, pointing to the battery. It was...sitting suspiciously in plain sight. All by its lonesome. As if it were a trap.

"Hang on, hang on. I've seen this in movies before. The bad guy always places a trap for the artifact that the hero wants to collect," Carol glared at the stolen battery, eyeing it up like it was a scratching post. "Pff. Typical."

Milla tilted her head, "Should we...?"

Carol crouched down clow, stalking towards the battery like a proper cat. "I got this..." Upon closer inspection, there was a yellow sticky note attached to it. "...?" She raised an eyebrow as she began to read it.

 _Dear sister._

 _If you're reading this, then you're an even bigger fool than I thought. Proof that you just can't stay out of anyone's business. I'm sorry, but this is for your own good. Next time you'll stay out of my affairs...if you make it._

 _Your beloved sister, Cory 3_

Just then, a plane had made its way between the mountains in the distance. Carol balled the note into her fist, claws digging into her palms that almost drew blood. "You..."

"Uh, Carol...?" Milla squeaked from behind her.

"...Hmph. Yeah?" Carol wiped her face with her arm, getting rid of some tears that she tried to desperately hold back.

Milla pointed at a long, thin figure barrelling towards the side of the mountain. "We have to go!"

Carol looked up. Her ears nearly drooped at the sight before she grabbed the battery. "Ain't gotta tell me twice up in here!" She made a beeline down the slope, Milla quickly racing after her on all fours.

The figure was a missile. It was headed straight for the face of the mountain upon which the two were standing. Having locked onto its target, it crashed into the side of the mountain moments later, causing a massive quake and an explosion to erupt from its side. The rock that had been broken off started tumbling down the slope, causing a steep rockslide downward of the peak.

And Carol and Milla were right in the middle of it.

"AH! Run!" Milla yelped, seeing the rocks cascade towards them like bees.

Carol was as scared as her friend was. But as always, she kept up her cocky attitude in situations like these in order to comfort her. "Pssh. Please. Those rocks are too far away. Besides, once I get to my bike, we're good as gone!" _"I hope."_

"O-ok!" Milla replied nervously, but that certainly made her feel a bit more calm. In fact, she was calm enough to where she grew focused. Sniffing for the burnt rubber of her motorcycle tires to get there the fastest way. "I got it! Come on!"

The route was over a gap in the mountain. A deep crevasse that looked almost insurmountable. But to them it wasn't a big deal. It wasn't as if they had any other options anyway. The boulders and rocks kept charging after them.

"Across _that_?" Carol made a catty grin. "That's _easy_!"

Even though their lives were in danger, Milla still managed to poke fun at her friend. "Betcha I can make it first!"

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"Alright, bring it!"

The ledge was coming closer. Their hearts were pumping as fast as their legs were moving. Despite the copious amounts of rubble and destruction that consumed the mountain path behind them, they still managed to smile at each other. Competition was always a favorite pastime of theirs, and this situation was no different.

Besides...better to enjoy something than be afriad, right?

They jumped...

Lilac's phone buzzed once more. It was the pizza delivery service. They were on their way to the area she told them to meet her. After hanging up, she went into a frenzy. "Uh-oh. Uhh..." She stood in the mirror. Was this towel reall worth it? "..."

She looked over to her curtains. They were red with gold trim and dragons plastered along the sides. "...Better." She quickly swapped the towel for the curtains. At least they were actually fashionable compared to a plain white towel. Plus, it looked like a dress. Who knew? "Perfect~"

Some adjustments were made and she cut it to fit firmly around her body, almost like a real dress. There was plenty of leg room as well. A perfect fit. "Good. Now just have to hurry." She grabbed the money she needed to pay, and and dashed out. Though, it was a new experience. Running this fast on her bare feet didn't exactly work well with friction. But she managed.

"Now where...aha!" She smirked, having locked eyes on the delivery person. Oddly enough, it was a hooded figure whose face wasn't visible. But it was a bit cold due to it almost being dark, so Lilac didn't see it as suspicious.

"Hibye!" In a flash, the pizzas were swapped with paying money in the delivery person's hand. Now all she had to do was get home and pretend this day never happened.

Unbeknownst to Lilac, however, shurikens started flying towards the back of her head from where the hooded figure stood.


	8. Catching a Break

Arc One: End

Chapter Eight: Catching a Break

It was a rough struggle having to evade the rockslide. With no safe area to traverse on either side, they had to keep straight. Fortunately for them, the jump to the other side of the crevasse was all but child's play.

Carol slid to a stop on the other side, watching as the rocks fell down into the deep trench they had just passed over. "Haha! We made it! You know what they say. Cats land on their feet every time!"

Milla couldn't help but curiously lean her head forward, looking into the abyss as the rocks fell. It was high up, but she didn't mind. Ever since she had rode in those planes, the heights actually intrigued her.

"Uh, you alright over there?" Carol asked. She chouldn't help but notice her friend aimlessly staring into the depths.

"Huh? Oh, I'm ok," Milla responded and turned around. "I just wanted to look down is all."

"Oh, right..."

"So...any idea where that huge missile came from?"

Carol paused, biting her lip. She looked down at her hand. The note that her sister left had been stained with a bit of blood from when she punctured her palm with her claws. In all the excitement she had forgotten what the real issue was in the present moment. "...Yeah. Whatever that ship was..."

"...was it your sister?" Milla asked.

Choosing to continue forward, the wildcat didn't answer. Instead she looked down to the ground in front of her feet, looking more than just a shade of green out of worry. _"I wonder why..."_

"Carol?" Still wanting an answer, Milla followed. "Carol!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking..."

"About what?"

Her bike was just down the slope. They were just a few paces away. "About why she'd do something like that. And to me no less."

Folding her arms, Milla gave a stern response. "Maybe she's just jealous that you have good friends so she wants to be a hairball about it."

"..." Carol snorted, making a cat face. That was more hilarious the more she thought about it. "Pff, good one!"

Milla leaned up on her tip-toes, getting right in Carol's face, still just as serious. "I mean it."

Seeing Milla actually forceful was both interesting and adorable. Carol could barely hold back her laughter at this point. Her mood was certainly uplifted. "Hey, hey, maybe she's just a little crabby. Though, if that's the case, then she's totally got a right to be mad. I mean, I got the best friends in the world with me~!"

Milla wagged her tail, expression softening. "Awww, thanks!"

She grinned. A thought then came to Carol as she leaned against her bike. "...Oh yeah, speaking of which, we've left Lilac alone all day."

Milla hopped onto the back of her motorcycle, giggling. "I bet she had a boring time by herself."

"Psh, yeah. I almost feel bad for leaving her on her own." Without wasting anymore time, Carol hopped into her bike's seat. "Whaddya say we take this battery back and head home?"

"Sounds good to me!" Milla barked, tail wagging with excitement in her eyes.

"Alright! Though, I still wonder what she's doing...meh. Maybe she made a house of cards or tried to save the world again."

Milla snorted while Carol revved up her bike, "I hope not. She knows better, Carol!"

"Fair point. Also, hang on."

"H-WAAAH!" The bike sped down the mountain faster than Milla could comprehend, making her ears flop in the wind...

"-?!" Lilac narrowly avoided the throwing stars that whizzed past her head. "What the-" As she ran, she looked behind herself. The person that delivered her the pizza was no longer there. "..."

She almost considered stopping, but didn't. For multiple reasons. A. She knew she would lose her attacker once she got into the deeper part of the woods near her treehouse. And B. She was tired as heck from having to do _every_ chore.

Plus the pizza smelled too good.

"..."

Lilac quickened her pace, zooming through the woods with a purple blur behind her. Every bush and tree she passed swayed with the force of the wind she created. However, unknown to her, one of the throwing stars got tangled within the curtain fabic taht she made her "dress" out of. It didn't touch her, and she was moving to fast to properly notice.

After running through various parts of the forest only she knew about, Lilac made her way back home. Upon entering, she tossed the pizzas on the table, and prepared to flop onto the couch for what felt like the 100th time that day.

"I."

"Am."

"Done."

Once again, she dropped onto the couch. Only this time, she felt a prick in her bottom. "AH! The piercing level of pain made her shoot up from the couch, rubbing her backside. "What the heck did I sit on...?"

Then, she saw it. The shuriken that had been lodged into her "dress" had dealt a sharp cut to the back of her thigh. "Uch, that's gonna leave a mark." She removed it from the wound. Luckily, due to her dragon physique, minor scrapes like this were-well, minor. However, what really caught her eye was the engravings on the weapon itself.

It looked frighteningly familiar.

"...No."


	9. The Invite

Arc Two

Chapter Nine: The Invite

It was a long day. Everyone had their own set of strange, powerful, and tiring experiences that made them either excited, worried, scared or tired. Once Carol and Milla returned the battery to its rightfully belonged place, they were celebrated for returning a piece of Shang Tu's history. And Neera Li personally, and publicly gave Carol an apology for accusing her. Of course, being the sneaky wildcat she was, Carol had half a mind to milk the situation. But she didn't push it too far. However, the girls did go home with something special, much to their excitement.

The day was over. Night had fallen on this side of Avalice. It was a cold, almost windy night. The stars were out, some shooting across the night sky, cutting through the darkness like a knife through butter. At Lilac's treehouse, lanterns with kanji engraved in their sides had illuminated the area. This was so her friends could easily find their way home. And they were able to.

"Eeeeyoooo!" Carol practially kicked the door down, holding three envelopes in her hand. "Look who got premium invites!"

Not far behind, Milla scampered in after her, "Lilac! Lilac!"

 _Thump_

The dragon girl was busy taking a nap on the couch, and fell onto the floor at her friend's sudden entry. She had finally changed her clothes into her clean set of pajamas: A white T shirt with-you guessed it-lilac colored pajama pants. "Ow..." She rubbed her eyes, standing up, "Oh, hey, you're back..."

Carol snickered, putting her hands on her knees as she leaned forward. "You look like you've seen a ghost, girl."

Milla couldn't help but take a few careful sniffs. The dragon scent was there along with a heavy essence of fatigue. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just been..." She remembered all of the chores she did when it was very much Carol's turn. Normally, she would've yelled at her for not doing it like she was asked. But she was too tired for that right now. "...Doing stuff."

Carol folded her arms. It was a no-brainer that Lilac was lying, but before she could make a move, she was interrupted by Milla.

"Is that pizza?!" The hound was at the table in a flash.

"Yeah..." Lilac grinned, "I didn't feel like cooking tonight. I almost threw my back out." Her grin turned to a full on laugh.

"Meatball?!" Milla's green eyes shone like one of her cubes. Pizza was great, but certain toppings turned her off. Meatball, however...

Before long, sounds of rabid munching were heard at the table, Milla was face deep in that pizza box. This prompted a giggle from the other girls. Then, Carol took her seat on the couch next to Lilac, stealing the remote.

"So what are we invited to?" Lilac asked.

"Oh yeah," Carol handed one of the envelopes to her friend. "We got them from the panda girl after we returned the battery."

"Neera Li," Lilac corrected, using her clawed nail to open the letter.

"Tomayto, tomahto."

Upon opening the letter, Lilac started to read over its contents. After a moment of quiet muttering, she blinked. "...Woah. This is a pretty big deal."

"Huh? What is?" Carol attemtped to lean over her friend's shoulder to read the letter, but Lilac blocked her, pushing her face back with her hand.

"Hey! Don't you have your own?" She laughed.

The wildcat stopped on a dime when she realized this. "Oh, right." She opened-tore the letter open, and started to read it.

 _Dear heroes..._

 _On behalf of the three kingdoms, you three are invited to a royal summit. There we will be discussing the future of Shuigang and how Prince Dail attempts to rectify the threats placed on his-_

"Ugh, booooooooooooooooring!" Carol faked a yawn, showing off her fangs. "What do they need us for? They're adults, we're kids. We don't need to be involved in-"

Lilac just started giggling.

"What's so funny?" Carol raised an eyebrow.

"Keeeep reading~"

"..."

(Carol's POV)

 _Blah blah blah blah blah political jazz_

 _...and there will be plenty of food for you to taste from each culture of the three kingdoms as a way to perfectly seal our bonds within-_

"I'm in!"

 _But there's more to-_

"No way I'm gonna turn down a chance like this!"

"Uhhh, Carol?" Lilac poked her once, getting her attention. "You may wanna read the last line."

"..." 

_P.S. Black Tie/Dress is Mandatory._

"...Aaaaand I'm out!" Carol picked up the remote.

Lilac narrowed her eyes, nudging her with her elbow. "What about the foooood~"

Carol blushed, visibly twitching. "Nothing, and I mean _no. thing_ will get me in a dress. It's too...bleh!"

"'Bleh'? Come on, Carol, have you tried it before?"

That's when she made a playful but defensive hiss. "I mean it! It feels so awkward to wear one. And then there's the awkward updraft that comes in. It's _cold._ "

Lilac tried to reason with her, "What if Milla and I helped you pick something out? Would you prefer that?"

"Uh, no. Because I'm not wearing a dress," Carol repeated, "Not gonna happen. Not on your life or mine!" She hissed again, and got up. "Brb. Heading to the bathroom."

Lilac sighed as Carol left the room. Even after all she had done before, this wasn't exactly how she wanted the day to end between them. A nice little party while wearing a dress seemed...nice.

"Mmmm..." All the sudden, Milla looked up from her pizza. Cheese and meat dripping from her face, almost intoxicated from the sheer delicious taste. Eyes half open, tail wagging like crazy. It wasn't until she noticed Carol get up that she came to her senses. "Lilac? What's up?"

As Carol went to the bathroom, she stopped. A sniff or two and she could smell fresh...everything. "..Huh?" A look into the kitche and she could see that all of the dishes were washed. The trash was also taken out. And before she even realized, in her bedroom she could see her clothes all neatly stacked in piles on her bed. The floors were cleaned, windows cleaned, and even the bathroom was sparkling. A place that none of them every dared going to. "..."

Carol's ears drooped. She slipped silently into the bathroom and closed the door. Looking into the mirror, she felt pain inside of her heart. Lilac had done every single one of her chores and didn't get mad. She didn't yell, throw anything at her, or anything of the sort. But what really made her feel awful was how she openly refused to going to the meeting with her.

Still, the thought of being in a dress nerved her. But her friend was more important on any day of the week.

 _"...What to do..."_


	10. Potential

Chapter Ten: Potential

 _Perfect. Just a matter of time before we strike again. This time things'll be different. With the warning already sent, there's not much else left before I make my move. Nothing will stop me from keeping my brother from being swayed...by anyone. And I certainly don't need her showing up and making things worse, or attempting to charm him with her lies._

 _If it were up to me, I'd tell him to stay home. But what do I know? Maybe he needs to be there or something. I'm not some political encyclopedic nerd. Not to put him down, but that's just what I think. Still, it's only a matter of time._

"Mobilize. We're moving out to observe, and that's all."

"Yes sir."

* * *

Carol had decided to clean herself up. Not the normal way unfortunately. Licking herself on its own was generally inefficient due to how much sweating she did in a normal day. Besides, she enjoyed the water unlike most cats.

"Hm..." She sighed softly, ducking half of her face under the bathwater.

 _"I can't believe she went and did everything. And she's not mad either? Like...how do I come back from that? That's such a great friend move!"_ She hissed, pulling down on both of her ears out of frustration. _"The least I can do is...put on the..."_

"Hnn!" For a second she almost dry heaved. The imagery of herself in a dress was still so very, very wrong to her. To her it felt like trying to force a square peg into a circular hole. "Ugh..."

 _"I mean, I don't have to worry. The event's not until tomorrow night anyway so I have plenty of time to figure it out."_

Once she finished in the bathroom, she put on her pajamas: A black tank top and a black pair of shorts. "So you went and bought three pizzas, huh?"

"Yeah," Lilac answered from the couch, legs crossed. "I figured it'd be easier since we all like different toppings."

"Heh, makes sense to me." Carol walked over to the box that was for her. Anchovies was her preferred topping. As always, she started messilly gnawing at the cheese, savoring each piece of fish. "Mmm-so I'f been thinkin' about da meeting." Her voice was muffled as she ate.

Lilac blinked, realizing something. The way she and Milla ate was so...unorthodox to say the least. Watching the hound still eat and lick at her borderline empty box was... "H-huh?" She snapped out of her fixation to reply.

Carol tilted her head, "You ok dere?" she asked while still using her fangs to gnaw at the contents of the pizza. "Ya look scared again."

"Nothing it's-ahem,:" Lilac cleared her throat, "You had a question about the meeting, right?"

"Aw, yis! I was thinkin' about the dress and maybe...if I can find the right one..."

The dragon girl gasped. Did Carol of all people say she was willing to put on a dress? Say it ain't so! "Really?"

"Done!" Milla suddenly barked, panting. "Thanks for the pizza, Lilac!" She had been eating the rest off of the floor for the last five minutes. Her canine ways didn't falter one bit. "My turn for the shower!" On all fours, she dashed off to the bathroom.

"Heh...I guess." Carol slowly shoved the rest of the slice into her mouth. "It's the leaf I could do sinf you did all the chorf..."

"That's great, but..." Lilac raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think there's something else we should take care of?"

Completely oblivious to what she was getting at, Carol shrugged. "No?" She finally swallowed the silce of pizza, and reached for another, "Get a dress and that's it right?"

"..." Lilac shot her a flat look. "Your manners."

Just as messy as before, the wildcat was eating her slice of pizza and stopped mid-bite when Lilac said that. "What now?"

"Acting like a proper lady?"

Carol froze. Those words were like kryptonite to her entire body "Error! Does not compute!" She hissed, still biting into the slice.

"Come on, how would it look if you ate wildly like that in front of The Magister or Prince Dail? Zao apparently doesn't care...but still."

"Wait, first a dress now this?!" Carol panicked, "Uh...maybethefoodisn'tworthit."

"Carol..."

"Ugh...sorry. Just, acting like some chick in lame soap opera doesn't appeal to me..."

Suddenly, Milla ran out of the bathroom, wearing a simple pale pink nighshirt. "Done!"

"Milla!" Lilac called out, "You too."

"Huh?"

Carol rolled her eyes, "She wants us to have manners. Like that'll happen."

"Hey! I just want you guys to know how to act in front of officials. It won't look good if we're just eating like crazy. Not to mention the way we act is going to determine how they see us."

"That's easy!" Milla barked, wagging her tail, "All we have to do is be nice!"

"Yeah, so what if we eat a lil' messy?" Carol snarked.

"Hm...I got a plan." Lilac suggested, "What if we practiced tomorrow? So we'll know how to act once we get there?"

"..."

Both the wildcat and the hound's tails wagged. "Hey as long as we get food," Carol said with a catty grin.

"Ooh, ooh! Can I cook?!" Milla jumped in place. Out of the three of them she was the best at mixing things up. "I'll make the practice food!"

Lilac sighed with relief. Maybe they would be more open to this after all. "Alright, guys. I think we should get some sleep. We've all had a long day."

Carol yawned, opening her mouth wide. "Yeah, fair point. The sooner we go to sleep, the sooner we get food again~"

"Is that all you ever think about?"

"Well, no. Right now, I wanna sleep."

The dragon girl snorted. "Touche."

Somehow, Milla had already ran past them and was lying in her circular doggie bed. She yawned, and turned over in her covers, more excited than ever for the day she would have tomorrow. "I bet I can get to sleep first!"

"Are you challenging a wildcat?" Carol snickered and jumped into her bottom bunk. "Goodnight, you guys!"

"Goodnight!"

Lilac climbed the ladder for the bunk and got into the bed above Carol. "Night everyone."


	11. Morning Time

Chapter Eleven: Morning Time

During the middle of the night, Lilac had gotten up. She rubbed her eyes as she went down to living room. The shuriken that was flung toward her earlier that evening was stashed in between the couch. After what happened, she was going to tell her friends about it at first, but decided against it when there were more pressing engagements to discuss. Hence, the event of the meeting. However, the throwing star did have some familiar markings on it that she wanted to look over.

"Hm..." Picking it up, she noted the raw material it was made of. Strangely easy enough to not only make contact with dragon skin, but rupture it completely. This was definitely some sort of advanced metal that she had seen before...somewhere. "Where have I seen this type of metal...did one of Brevon's robots use these?" She scratched her head. Maybe it was her fatigue from being up at 3 AM that kept her from making a proper judgement. So she decided to put it on the bookshelf where she kept books and board games. Right now wasn't the best time to worry about it in her sleepy dragon head.

"Tomorrow..." She yawned, climbing back into her top bunk bed to sleep for the rest of the night.

* * *

Morning came.

The girls wanted to sleep in, but they knew that today was going to be a busy day. Not only did they have to splurge some money on dresses (and possibly heels), but also understand what it means to have...manners.

Everyone was still sound asleep until the sun rose. Lilac was still resting neatly with her blankets draped over her. Milla had turned on her back, paws to the air. Apparently she was having a dream of some sort. And Carol...

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..." Not only was she snoring, but fittingly enough for her species name-she was sprawled out on the bed, blankets halfway torn off of her along with her legs dangling over the side of the bed. Even when she was sleeping, she was disorderly- "Nyyaaa...just the way I likes it...zzzz..."

Well, that didn't last for long, as the alarm clock soon reared its demonic head.

 _EHH! EHH! EHH! EHH!_

Lilac yawned, Carol hissed, and Milla barked in surprise. All of them had their own usual set of reactions to the daily grind.

"Good morning..."

"AHH! PICKLE FISH LIPS!"

"Rrrruf! Morning!"

As usual, the hound and dragon couldn't help but laugh at their friend's zany ways of waking up in the morning.

"Hey! I had a bad dream, alright?" She hissed again, taking shelter under her blankets.

After a bit more teasing here and there, the girls did what they normall did every morning. Brush their teeth, showered, and got dressed. Once their daily morning routine was complete, they all headed downstairs for breakfast. Though for some reason, Carol and Milla sped to the kitchen while Lilac was just calmly walking which confused the dragon girl.

"You guys know breakfast isn't even ready yet, right?" She called out, but got no response.

Quiet snickers were heard from the kitchen...

Raising an eyebrow, Lilac grew even more confused. She followed her friends into the kitchen. "What are you two-aah!"

A cold bucket of ice water was dumped onto her head as soon as she passed into the kitchen. When she got drenched, Carol started laughing hysterically. "HA! Gotcha!"

Milla couldn't help but giggle. "Did you forget what day it is~?"

"...I-it's f-f-freezing!" Lilac stomped her foot. "What makes this even remotely clever?!"

"Uh, duh-the fact that you got prank'd." Carol snorted, leaning against the wall, "You know it's fair game for stuff like this to happen."

Even though her clothes were soaking wet, Lilac was in no mood for jokes. "Look, we need to get ready for the assembly tonight. Let's save our prank war for another chap-er, time."

Carol rolled her eyes, throwing her head back. "Huuuuuh. Fine."

The entire time they were talking, Milla was already at the stove, hard at work to prepare breakfast. "Hmmhmmmhmmm~" When it came to cooking in the house, Milla was usually top dog (no punintended), so they always looked to her when it came to preparing good food.

"Ugh, gotta dry these clothes now." Lilac huffed, walking back into the bedroom.

While she did that, Carol hopped into a chair, kicking up her feet onto the table. She took a sniff. Her nose wasn't as good as Milla's, but even she knew good food when she smelled it. "Ooh, pancakes, huh?"

"Yup!" Milla yipped, "I can't wait to try on dresses today!"

"..." Carol forced the cheesiest smile onto her face. "Yyyyyyeah me too."

"Oh come on, Carol, it won't be that bad!" She grasped the pan in two hands, preparing to flip the massive buttery pancake over.

Leaning back even further, Carol pushed her chair against the wall. "Yeah, but I got a reputation to keep up! I'm a grade A former thief!"

"Hnnnn!" With some effort required, Milla managed to flip the pancake over. "But what's one dress going to do?"

"..." Carol paused, and remembered the last time she tried to do anything girly. It made her fur stand on end as if someone just pricked her with a needle. "...It'd kill me."

Soon, Lilac re-entered, wearing a new set of dry clothes. "Alright, so here's the plan-"

"Hoo boy, here it is." Carol began idly sharpening her claws, "what're we gonna do this time?"

"Nothing," Lilac lied and shuffled over to a drawer in the kitchen where utensils were kept. "..." They were unopened and hadn't been used at all. "Do neither of you use forks?"

Pretending as if she didn't know any better, Carol made a confused cat face. "You what."

Milla however, was actually confused. "What's a fork?"

"You use it to stab your enemies and drink the blood from their-!"

Lilac cleared her throat, causing Carol to stop on her train of nonsense.

The wildcat rested her cheek in the palm of her hand. "Hey, that's what I heard. Though, I have claws for that."

"You use them to eat with," Lilac just gave her friend a flat look, then blew some air onto the box of forks, knives, and spoons. They hadn't been opened so dust had piled up onto them. "...How long ago did I buy this?"

"If you forget that means you stole it." Carol made a cheeky grin.

Lilac was about to respond with a possibly uncool quip, when Milla pipped up. "Pancakes are done!" Somehow she managed to make three stacks of six. One plate for each of them.

"Alright, I'm starving~" Carol rubbed her hands with anticipation.

Milla brought their plates to the table, and set them down. But before she was able to tuck into the plate of fluffy disks, Lilac intervened.

"Ahem. We should at least try using forks, guys. Remember? The meeting tonight is going to be prestigious. Eating neatly will-"

Carol's ears drooped. "Fine, just gimme the thing. The sooner I can eat, the better."

Another flat look from Lilac, but she went and passed her friend a fork. Her expression slowly turned to that of a smirk. "Heh. Good luck using it~"

Milla was trying to balance a fork on her nose. "Oooh..."

"..." Lilac sat down, "We have a lot to work on..."


	12. Breakfast and Chill

Chapter Twelve: Breakfast and Chill

"Alright, so this is how you use a fork, guys." She used it to cut and peck into one of the pieces of her pancake. In the back of her mind, she had thought about showing them how to use a knife too...but didn't feel it was the right time. So she stuck with fork for now. "See?" She then bit into it.

Carol narrowed her eyes. It was almost offensive how Lilac thought she couldn't use a fork. Complete nonsense. "Hmph. Easy." Making a catty grin, she stabbed her fork into three pancakes at once. "Ehh? EHH?"

Lilac pressed her hand to her forehead.

Milla meanwhile, was still trying to grasp an understanding. What even was this strange metal stick? "How do I...?" She gave the fork a tentative sniff, then a lick.

"Like this." Lilac repeated her actions for Milla to follow.

The hound nodded, slowly picking up on her friend's methods. The fork was strange to hold at first, mainly because she never held one before. However, after a few tries of dropping it and picking it back up, she held onto it firmly. "Ok..."

Carol was mindlessly chewing on hers while resting her head on her palm, elbow on the table. "Ugh, can this get any slower? I might start shedding at this rate."

"Carol...not a good idea to talk about that stuff at a table. Plus, elbow." Lilac explained.

"Ugh, I don't get it!" She groaned, "Back when we were younger, you always ate like I did."

Memories started to flood into Lilac's mind. During their time in the Red Scarves, food was a necessity, but you only got to eat what you could find. And there were no plates, tables, knives or forks. Which begged the question. _"Huh...when did I even start to have manners?"_

Lost in thought for a moment, Lilac was stumped. Carol had to snap her out of it. "Yo, Lilac!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry."

"You always seem to do that when I bring up the old days," Carol sat back in her seat. "Is everything alright?"

Meanwhile, Milla used the time to focus hard on using the fork correctly. Her face was poised with determined focus. _"I am going to get this so good!"_ Her tail was perfectly still. She was serious about getting this fork to work.

"Yeah, it's...nothing." She sighed, and shook her head, "Anyway, after we eat breakfast I was thinking we should probably go to Shang Mu. They have a wide selection of dre-"

Carol nearly coughed up what she just ate. "Please don't say that word."

This made Lilac giggle. "Dreeeeeeeee..."

Carol hissed, "I mean it!"

She stifled another giggle. "Anyway, Shang Mu's mall has plenty of styles to choose from, maybe we'll find something there that'll work for you."

"Yeah...yeah sure." Carol wasn't exactly too thrilled. But it was for an important cause.

Milla had managed to properly grasp the fork and was eating...properly. That is, until she stuck the whole fork in her mouth and let it stay there as she chewed. "Isf dish, right?"

Lilac stared for a moment, thoroughly weirded out by her actions. "Well...it's a start. Once we're done, we can head over to the mall."

"Yay!"

"Whoop to the pee." Carol said flatly.

* * *

And that's exactly what they did. About an hour later, the girls traveled to Shang Mu, specifically the mall. As they approached, Lilac started to think again, losing focus of the surrounding world.

It wasn't until Carol poked her a few good times that she came back down to earth. "Huh? Wha?"

"What is with you?" Carol asked, "You're not thinking about the last time we were here again, are you?"

"No, of course not!" Lilac scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Today's just a good day for shopping, right? Come on, let's hurry before the good deals are gone!" And with that, she sprinted into the mall.

Carol folded her arms, stopping outside the doors of the mall. Lilac was really bad at lying. That and this entire dress deal still somewhat nerved her the wrong way.

Milla was behind her, confused at what her friend was feeling. "Is something wrong with Lilac?"

"I dunno," Carol sighed, but managed to smile at the hound, "but hey, I can make this work. No amount of girly stuff is gonna drive Carol Tea away!"

"-Why did I agree to this." As soon as she stepped near the women's department, her nose felt like it was being fried. "What is this smell?!"

Milla sniffed a few times. "It's perfume!"

"..." As if she had smelled something deadly, Carol's fur stood on end, and her eyes transformed to comical "X's." She fell over, and started waving a small white flag.

Milla tilted her head, and sniffed. "Carol, come on! I know you aren't dead!" Using her jaws carefully, she bit into Carol's shoe, dragging her along through the store.


	13. Mall Troubles

Chapter Thirteen: Mall Troubles

"Nononononononononono. Someone kill me now, please. Kill me!" Carol hissed. Every inch further into the women's department of the store made her sick to her stomach. All of the dresses, perfume, makeup. Everything made her just want to hide- "NO! I wanna crawl into a hole with a blindfold, earplugs, noseplugs, and-Milla lemme go!"

"But, Carooool..." Milla whined, "It all looks so pretty!"

"I'd rather pull out my claws..."

Milla let go of Carol's shoe. Her attention was stolen by something else. "Ooh, shiny!" The hound's eyes went wide. The clothes that lined the floor of the women's department were much more flashy than what she normally wore. Not to mention more expensive. "Hmmm..." With a nose like hers, it was easy to tell the difference between quality, and a quack.

Carol got up, rubbing both of her arms. This section of the mall was like being in a cramped elevator. Something which, to a wildcat, was pure torture. Everywhere she looked, she found more and more girly items. Cosmetics, skirts, heels. It made her more uneasy than her first martial arts tournament. "Hrrrg...where's Lilac?" _"Kill me now."_

"Hm? I think I smelled her near the fitting rooms!"

"Oh no..." That made Carol even more nervous. If anything, the only good part about this part of the mall was that there-...no, there was no good things about this part of the mall. At least not to this wildcat. But hey, anything to get it over with faster. "Fitting rooms...don't tell me..." She hurried over to the fitting area, the women's side of course.

Moments after she arrived, Lilac walked out of the dressing room wearing a fitted red dress and a rose in her hair. "Hey, Carol-just in time. Whaddya think? Too much red?"

"..." At that moment, Carol almost swore she had an internal breakdown. Seeing Lilac in a dress wasn't as bad as wearing one herself, but it still made her slightly uncomfortable. "Uhhh...yeah, you look...great." She slowly backed out, trying to wipe the mental images she saw.

Milla meanwhile, had followed the scent of Lilac all the way to the dressing room. "Woooow..." Conversely, her reaction to what Lilac was wearing was pure awe. Her tail wagged. "You look beautiful, Lilac!"

She giggled in response, standing in front of the mirror. "Thanks, Milla. But I'm on the fence. Is this dress...me?"

"What do you mean? Of _course_ it's you! You look pretty in it!"

"I guess I do. But I still have more I need to try on. Wanna join me...?"

Milla squealed. Just like Lilac had promised. They were going to get to try on dresses together. "Yesyesyes!" And without warning she zipped around the store, nabbing a random selection of dresses until her mouth was full of coat hangers. "Lef go!"

Lilac laughed at how many dresses and skirts that Milla wanted to try on, and looked over at Carol who was taking shelter under a display in a fetal position. "...Find anything?"

"I've seen things, Lilac...things I never thought I'd see in my life." Carol answered emptily.

Lilac just rolled her eyes. Carol was always ever so dramatic when it came to these types of situations. It was almost hilarous. "Carol, come on." She walked over and squatted down, "You'll find something you like in here. Easy."

"H-how? All I see are frills, cotton, lace..." Her eyes were wide, and fear stricken. As if she had a bad experience with anything in this section of the store. "I feel like if I touch anything I'm gonna turn into some magical princess with wings and a wand!"

Lilac raised an eyebrow. "That's a...bit of an exaggeration. And we have to find something before tonight, so take a good look, ok?"

Milla poked her head out from the dressing room door. "Lilac, you coming?"

"I'll be right there!" Lilac answered and gave Carol one last look before moving on back to the dressing room where she and Milla returned to picking out clothes to wear.

After a moment, Carol picked herself up. "Alright...can't be too bad, right?" She took a look around. Everything was too...bright for her tastes. "...Dang, I'm gonna go blind. Maybe if I had some gum I could think better." She was in luck. A gumball machine was sitting near one of the cash registers. "Knew it. Malls always have these."

Once she got over there, she looked over the machine. Her favorite type of gumball was always red, because it was usually cherry. There were a ton in there of course, but there was one problem

There was only one red gumball left.

"Ooh..." She made a cat grin. Her old theif mentality kicked in as she looked through the machine. "Let's see...round, obviously. The machine seems to run on an old fashioned tumbler...the red is near the top of the pile." She made sure no one was looking before she gave the machine a slight nudge. Then another, and another. She had to be subtle about it. The last thing she needed was to be called out while being in the _women's_ section.

"Aaaand..." A final nudge. Then she placed her coin in the machine, and turned the knob. Sure enough, the red gumball came rolling down. The last one in the machine. "Heeheehee...easy money." She grabbed it, and was about to pop it into her mouth, but was stopped prematurely.

"Hey!" A small voice cried from behind her.

"Huh?" Carol turned around and looked down. There stood a skunk child that looked more than furious.

" _I_ wanted the red one!"

A few other shoppers turned their heads at the sudden yelling. This put Carol even more on edge than before. To avoid causing a scene, she just gave it up. "Uh...here. You can have it."

When Carol handed the skunk the gumball, they swiped it, and popped it into their mouth. "Hmph!"

Carol didn't want any trouble, so she just turned around to buy another gumball. Suddenly, the gumball was spat out by the skunk and hit the back of her head.

"Ptoo! Cat germs!"

The wildcat growled, rubbing the back of her head. That _hurt._ And a kid doing something like that in public was always a gray area. For instance, where was this kid's parents? _"Ugh...she doesn't even know..."_

The little skunk girl had started to walk away, sauntering proudly. "Uch, lousy fleabags in a place like this."

Carol's tail flicked like a whip.

"What did you just say?"


	14. More Mall Troubles

Chapter Fourteen: More Mall Troubles

"Come on," the skunk innocently turned around to look at Carol, flashing beady-bug eyes at her, "what could a rough looking tomboy like yourself be doing in a place like this?"

Carol had bought a different gumball, and started chewing on it. It was green-her other favorite for obvious reasons. "Look. Kid. ...First off, where are your parents? Aren't you a little young to be running around the store by yourself?"

"Pff, look who's talking. I know aaaall about you~"

Clearly not intimidated, Carol leaned back against the gumball machine, pulling on the piece of gum that she had in her mouth like it was a piece of yarn. "You really don't want to."

"I know your last name~" The skunk girl swayed from side to side, holding onto a small handbag.

"Try me."

"It's Tea, isn't it~?"

"..." Carol's pupil's dilated. Her heart skipped a beat. How in the lord's name did this little kid know her surname? What's more...what _else_ did she know? "...How?"

"Oh, isn't this just great~?" The skunk jumped up and down, "Now you're stuck on whether or not you should lay smack talk on an innocent kid or run away like a pussy cat with your tail between your legs in a fake attempt to be mature. Aren't trap situations so beautiful~?"

By now, a small group of shoppers were looking their way. Carol started to sweat. What would be the best way out of this situation? "..."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the dressing room, Lilac and Milla had been trying on dresses for the past ten minutes. Their selection was massive, and the options they had to choose form made it difficult.

"What do you think, Lilac?" Milla exited her dressing booth wearing a modest black and white, horizontally striped dress that ran all the way down to her feet.

"Wait me, first!" Lilac came out of her dressing room wearing a short black dress with black, mesh stockings, and black mesh gloves that ran up to her arms.

"..."

"Oh. My. Gosh."

"You look great!" They both said in unison, holding each other's hands while they looked into the mirror.

"Hm...but black makes me feel too...vampire," Lilac said, looking herself over. "Edgy, and all that, you know?"

Milla, however, held a different opinion. "But you look great!" she insisted, "black really suits you!"

"Heh, it suits you pretty good too," Lilac commented, giving Milla a good look, "You look like you're twenty!"

Milla gasped, "Do I really look mature?"

"Pff, more than some people I know."

"Like who?"

Lilac giggled in response, "You know~"

Milla got the hint and giggled as well. Then she looked into the mirror again. "Hm...I wonder if Carol is ok..."

The thought of Carol losing her mind from the unbearable senses of the women's department sent Lilac into a state of worry. "Maybe I should go...no, no, she can handle herself," Lilac shook her head, dismissing the idea that Carol could be in danger. "Knowing her, she probably scurried off to the dojo equipment store."

"Yeah! But I wonder why she doesn't like dresses..."

"Well, she's always been like that," Lilac explained, "ever since we were little, she hated anything girly. And she would always hang around other guys. That is, until we became friends."

Milla had been ruffling through other dresses until she found herself a short, blue princess style skirt that went just past her thighs. "I'd like to know more about how you two met, sometime."

Lilac had also changed, switching into a white formal ball gown that trailed on the floor and had no coverings on the shoulders. "Trust me, that's a looooong story."

And again, Milla posed in front of the mirror wearing a fitted, mermaid style sapphire dress. "I'd listen!"

Another dress for Lilac, this time an emerald green poofy princess dress. "Heh, maybe I will tell you sometime."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the floor of the women's department, Neera Li- "Shh." -A panda woman wearing casual clothing was walking around. A purse slung over her shoulder. While she was looking through the jewelry section, the situation between Carol and the little skunk had caught her eye. Two things weren't right about this.

Who was that?

And what was Carol doing here?

 _"Oh boy, here it goes..."_ She rolled her eyes, keeping a keen watch over the scene, blending into the crowd as if she were just a civilian.


	15. It Happens

Chapter Fifteen: It Happens

"Look, kid," Carol was about done with this. Her claws had borderline come unsheathed. Children that had no sense of respect were subject to the highest forms of punishment for talking that way. And Carol would know, she's seen it happen before. "You don't have any idea what-"

"I'm so sorry..." Another skunk, taller than the one who was mocking Carol, grabbed the smaller one by the ear. Apparently this was the mother. "She gets...antsy at times."

Carol made a catty grin, relieved that she didn't have to resort to anything rash. "Eh, no problem. We were all kids once, right?"

"Hey! Let me go!" The skunk child whined.

Suddenly the mother gave the daughter a death glare that made everyone in the immediate area feel uneasy. "I _will_ spank you publicly." At that, the daughter fell silent, and they were soon on their way. Not before the girl looked at Carol and shot her a stink eye.

The wildcat almost wanted to return the expression. But she felt that enough had been done to cause a scene. That was the last thing she wanted. Though, she was still confused. "Eugh...what was that all about?"

"I wish I knew," a familiar voice said from near a clothing rack, "glad you played it safe, Carol."

"...?" She looked around and saw who was speaking to her. It was Neera Li. In...casual clothes? "Nee-?"

"Shhh!" The panda put a finger over her lip, "I'm off duty. The very minute you say my name, someone's going to get suspicious."

"...Oooof what? Your fashion choices?"

"Rggh..." Neera grumbled, and kept looking through the rack. "I wonder what you would have done had that girl's mother not shown up."

Suddenly, Carol was peering over her shoulder, "Hey, she's gone now, so it shouldn't matter, right?"

Neera rolled her eyes, "As perky as ever, aren't we?"

"Hey! You try...breathing in this place with all these...chemicals!"

"You mean perfume?" Neera shook her head in disbelief. "What's the problem with a little fragrance?"

Carol groaned. "Uh, because my nose feels like I stuck it in a deep fryer?"

"You just need a bit of a taste-"

"Noooo thank you!" Carol back off, flailing her arms. "It's bad enough that I have to wear a dumb dress anyway!"

And that's when Neera realized why Carol of all people was here in the first place. No way she would willingly come to the women's section. "So you're heading to the function as well."

The secret was out now. "Yeah," Carol hung her head.

"You should be more prideful," Neera scolded her, "Being invited to such an affair is no child's reward. Dress or not."

"But-ugh! It feels so...weird because there's nothing like...such a strange cold flow of air when I wear one. I feel like hot air balloon."

Another roll of the eyes. The panda woman was in no mood for complaining. "Then why not just wear something else underneath?"

Putting her hands on her hips, Carol leaned forward with a high level of snark to her. "Duh, because I don't wanna wear a dress in the first place?"

"Tch..." Luckily, Neera was on her day off, so she didn't feel the need to lecture Carol. However, she was still going to say something. "Would it kill you to try something new?"

"...I've tried it before," Carol admitted softly, flicking her tail, "I felt...exposed."

"I see..." After a moment, Neera shrugged and threw her purse onto her shoulder. "Good luck with that."

"Wha?" This confused Carol. "You're not gonna help me?"

Neera scoffed, "Do I look like some sort of tutorial? I gotta find my own outfit."

"But-"

"See you tonight." Neera said firmly, ending the conversation.

"Dangit..." Carol tapped her foot on the floor, looking around. Absolutely nothing in this store appealed to her, and it was driving her up a wall. Though, she knew she couldn't do this on her own. "...Kill me please."

Back with Lilac and Milla, the two had on another set of dresses. They were now wearing matching wedding gowns with veils over their heads.

"Ooh, I like this one!" Milla shouted.

Lilac giggled, and couldn't help but agree. "Yeah I think so too!"

Carol suddenly barreled into the doorway. "Guys, guys! I need your help!"

"What's wrong?" They both asked at the same time.

"..." Carol wrote something down on a piece of paper, and showed it to them.

 _'Help me find...something.'_

Milla gasped. "Ah! You mean it!" Her tail wagged.

"This is a surprise," Lilac raised an eyebrow. This didn't exactly seem normal, but Milla seemed excited so she went along with it, "Come on, let's hurry before the mall closes!" She quickly got changed and ran out of the dressing rooms.

Milla changed as well and grabbed Carol by the arm, running with her. "You're gonna wear one! Yay!"

In the back of her mind, Carol couldn't help but feel like this was a bad decision. _"...Yep, I'm gonna die."_


	16. Dressing Time

Chapter Sixteen: Dressing Time

It was clear. Carol was going to get into a dress for the first time. Though, the idea seemed sickly, she pretty much felt defeated at this point. But if Neera Li was so willing to put on something like that, then how bad could it be?

The wildcat stepped out of the dressing room, eyes shut tight. On her was a short, yellow dress with a frilled bottom that turned up. She was almost afraid to look at herself, but her friends were more than excited.

"Come on, Carol! Take a look!" Milla pleaded.

Lilac giggled, supplementing Milla's request. "Yeah, it won't be that bad."

"Fine..." Carol gingerly opened one eye. The other eyelid soon followed, and she gazed upon herself in the mirror. Immediately her face flushed a deep shade of crimson. Her facial expression was that of estranged shock. She simply did not know how to react to what she was wearing. "..."

Both Lilac and Milla awaited her reaction. "Weeeell?"

After about five minutes, Carol finally responded. "...I feel violated."

"...?" This answer confused her friends.

"Sorry, it's just...I feel so...naked?" Carol shivered, "Not to mention this weird updraft."

"Hm...what if you also wore shorts underneath," Lilac suggested, "would that be more comfortable?"

The wildcat sighed. There was really no forseeable way out of this. However, everything about the dress itself still put her off to the point of almost throwing up in her mouth. "Hnn! I dunno...maybe. But all the...frills still kinda...it's so girly!" Her tail lashed. If the dress wasn't so expensive, she would've tore it off right then and there.

Milla started digging through the pile of dresses, and found a simple black tube dress that would fit around Carol's body like a sleeve. "Here!" The hound carried it over, placing it in Carol's arms.

She sighed. "I guess I'll try it..."

And again, she went in, and came out. This time wearing the simple black dress. Though, something about it nerved her even more. Her face shone another shade of crimson. "...I can't do this."

Both Lilac and Milla exchanged pained glances for a moment. Their friend was important to them, and they couldn't stand seeing her this way. After a moment, they nodded to each other.

"Carol, if you don't want to go, you don't have to," Lilac said, "In fact, if you don't wanna go, then we're all staying."

One of Carol's ears flicked.

"That's right!" Milla added, "It won't be fun if you're not having fun! And if you're not having fun, that's no fun!"

Another ear flicked. Carol couldn't understand. "But you guys should go...really." She went behind the screen and changed into her normal clothes. "I'm just not cut out for cute stuff."

Lilac insisited, "Nope. We're staying home whether you want us to or not."

Milla sniffed Carol's fur a few times. "And you really want us to stay. I can tell."

This was even worse. They were willing to give up going just to make her happy. However, Carol wasn't going to simply let clothes overtake her. "But still..." Carol flopped onto a nearby chair, "I want us to have fun together. And I'm gonna find something I like if it kills me!"

"Are you sure?" Lilac asked.

"Heck yes." She smirked a catty grin, "It's just a bunch of clothes. I can find something..." Despite all of this, she couldn't shake the suspicions she had in the back of her mind. What exactly was the skunk girl getting at? She couldn't very well place it together. But since Neera Li clearly wasn't worked up about it, she decided not to be either. _"If she can be confident. I can."_

* * *

The panda woman in question was making her way to the undergarments section. She was thinking the exact same thing about the skunk girl and how suspicious it was for her to cause a scene with Carol. It almost frustrated her that she couldn't figure it out, but then, she saw something.

The same pair of sparkling shoes that the little skunk girl wore were standing under a rack of clothes...


	17. Shattered Hope

Chapter Seventeen: Shattered Hope

"Why can't I just wear a suit instead..."

"But Carol, only men can wear suits!"

"That's ridiculous!" The wildcat hissed, "Why is everything made for just one specific gender! It's so confusing!"

Lilac was casually reading from a magazine. "I've sometimes wondered the same thing," she then looked up from her reading material, "Carol...the mall is gonna be closing soon. You need to pick something."

And in response, Carol groaned. It felt hopeless. How was she going to find what she needed before the mall upped and closed down for the night? "Uh...maybe you guys should head on home, and get dressed," she suggested, "we can meet back up, later?"

"Will you be ok?" Milla asked carefully.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be fine. You guys go ahead and pay for your stuff." She chuckled, "I wouldn't want you guys to miss out on buying what you want while you wait for me. You know how we girls are...always taking our time, hehe..."

Both Lilac and Milla raised inquisitive eyebrows at this. But despite it, Milla was quick to give Carol the time she needed. "Well, if you're sure. Come on, Lilac!" She grabbed her dresses that she had picked out, and also Lilac's arm, causing the dragon to yelp with surprise.

"Wah-!" Once they left the dressing room, Lilac wondered why Milla was in such a rush. "Uh, Milla, are you alright?"

The hound stopped near the cashier's line. "Maybe she just needs time to herself," she replied, sniffing the ground idly, "it must've been hard to choose something with us standing over her like that."

"Maybe...I just hope she finds something. The meeting begins in two hours."

* * *

Back in the dressing room, Carol was doing everything in her power to resist clawing up the dress she had on and using it as sandpaper. This was anything but what she wanted to wear. "Ugh...if only I could wear a suit or something..." Looking over herself in the mirror, her tail lashed. It was as if she was stuck in a burrito roll. "Hhhhhh..." Just the mere sight of herself in a dress built up a feeling of boiling unconfortableness. "Off, off, off!"

Once she removed it, she was down to her usual black shirt. Curled into a ball with her tail around her, Carol lied down on the dressing room floor. "...Can't do this...can't do this..."

Out of seemingly nowhere, a crash of what sounded like glass and a groan came from outside of the dressing room. Some sort of skirmish was definitely going on, and it made the wildcat's ears twitch as if she caught wind of a fish nearby. "What the...?!" Carol sprang to her feet. Her first instinct was to find her friends to see if they were alright. And that's just what she did. Running quickly to the line, she saw that there was no one there. Not even the checkout cashier. It seemed odd. But with no sign of Lilac or Milla, Carol made a deduction. "Dangit. They must've left and went home. At least I know they'll be fine..."

Her next move was to try an exit. However, much to her dismay, the doors were shut tight. Was the mall on lockdown? "Ugh, come on! It wasn't even me!" She rolled her eyes. There was nothing else to do except figure another way out of here. Or try and figure out what caused the noise and potentially risk her behind over it. "Yeah, I think it's obvi-"

She was cut off. Another abruptly sharp shattering of nearby glass caused the wildcat to shriek. Because of her sensitive hears, loud noises were the bane of her existence. "Hhhh..." A slight hiss came out of her. There was no telling what could have caused that noise. Fortunately for her, it was in a completely different corner of the mall: The sports section.

"Wonder what that is..." Since she was curious, as well as feeling like she would suffocate if she stayed in the women's department for any longer, Carol leapt, pouncing towards the exit of the section and towards the central area of the mall.

Once she was out, she was about to rejoice. Not smelling perfume anymore felt like a godsend. But before she could celebrate, something else caught her eye. Something that charged towards the sporting goods section of the mall.

"Oh boy..."


	18. Fear

Chapter Eighteen: Fear

 _15 Minutes Earlier..._

"Gotcha." Neera brushed back the rack of clothes, revealing the same skunk from before-the one who was teasing Carol. "What are you doing here?"

The little skunk girl flashed Neera an innocent pair of eyes. "Miss...I lost my mommy."

"Cut the crap, kid." Neera folded her arms,.

The jig was up. No use putting on the charade since she knew who she was dealing with. "Urgh, fine! But you're gonna regret messing with me! I know some people!"

The panda woman looked bored conversing with this girl. If anything she just wanted to hurry up and get home on her one day off. Was that too much to ask for? Just a nice, calm day to herself? She sighed, and decided to humor the strange child. "Oh really?"

"Yes I do! So you better watch yoself, missy!"

Neera Li looked at her watch. It was time for her to be literally anywhere else. "Look-just go find your mother and get outta here. I've had a long day that doesn't need to be expedited with idiocy."

That seemed to do it. The skunk girl started to walk off, but not before blowing off a raspberry in Neera's direction.

"Ugh...I see why some citizens consume alcohol." She rubbed her head, feeling a bit more frustrated than she had ever anticipated to be on this day. Now was the time for her to head out and flop on her comfortable bed at home. However. "..."

 _"Why did it have to be now of all times."_ She looked around for the nearest restroom. Many mall loos weren't exactly top notch levels of clean from what she had seen. She knew-mainly because she had authorized several shutdowns of establishments before due to unhygienic conditions.

And who knows? Maybe this could be a good evaluation of Zao's tendencies when it comes to public places and the way they're handled.

That and this was an emergency.

Running down the hall of the upper floor, Neera looked around for a bathroom. Once she found it in the sports section, she quickly ran into the ladies'. _"Let's see just how..."_ She paused. Much to her surprise, the bathroom wasn't only clean, but there was a diverse set of red and yellow tiles that adorned the floor. In addition, there were a few potted plants that livened up the room as well, offering a fresh scent. And of course, Zao being Zao. his face was plastered all over the paper towels one would use after washing one's hands.

Neera Li stared at the paper towels. She looked at the bathroom stalls. _"...Don't tell me he put his face on..."_ Reaching a hand forward to open a stall, she was almost afraid to do so. Though, when she saw the toilet paper roll didn't have Zao's face, she sighed with relief. Instead, each piece of square paper had a Chinese character on it: '新鮮' which meant 'Fresh.' It made Neera snort. It was a little amusing to her.

After doing her business, the panda woman washed her hands throroughly. Her eyes shifted over to the paper towels. She pulled one off the roll and couldn't help but grin as she used it. She was about to exit the restroom when she heard a strange noise, though. Something coming from the small windows at the other end of the restroom. A light tapping...as if something was hitting against the outside. "Hm?"

The sound only grew louder. Naturally, she decided to investigate the noise. Moving over to the window, she took light steps, hoping to sneak up on whatever it was. Once she got close enough, she took a good look. "..." It was just a small bird pecking its beak at the window. "...Huh. Nothing strange at all..." Though, despite it, Neera wasn't comforted. Having been in these types of situations before, she didn't relax. Her heartbeat increased the longer she stood there, as if some tiny voice in her head was telling her to turn around.

Just then, seemingly out of nowhere, an object of hefty weight was launched towards the back of Neera's head. Hearing the sound it made through the air as it came to her, she swung her head around in an attempt to react. Unfortunately, it was too late to do so. The object crashed dead in the center of her face. "Gah!" It was so heavy that the weight it carried sent her entire body over and out of the window...falling from two whole stories.

* * *

And now, concurrently, Carol was running through the mall at this time. Something suspicious had ran towards the sports section just a few short moments ago. By the time she made it to the entrance of the sporting goods store, she saw the ladies' restroom automatic door, just closing behind someone else.

With no one else in the store, Carol figured why not.

"Hey!" She ran to the bathroom.


	19. Urgency

Chapter Nineteen: Urgency

Carol stormed into the bathroom past the automatic door. Once inside, she couldn't see anyone. It was empty, sans the nearby flower pot that had just stopped wobbling a few seconds after she burst in. Someone had clearly left in a hurry. And of course, the elephant in the room was the window. It had been broken through with jagged edges protruding out from where it once was.

The sound of groaning could be heard from down below, and Carol quickly pounced over to the window, gazing over the edge. Down below, Neera Li was panting heavily, busy trying to make a splint out of her clothes. "Ma'am!"

The panda woman bit her lip, looking upwards to see Carol. It pained her to even try to speak, muscling through the words with little breath. "Get...an...ambulance. _Now._ "

For a moment her pupils dilated. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed happen to Neera. "...!" And as quickly as she had arrived there, she had zipped off.

After a frantic ambulance call, and a few minutes of waiting, the injured Neera was assisted onto a gurney for the ambulance. Looking more unamused than pained, she simply sighed to herself as she was loaded into the back of the emergency vehicle. "My one day off and I get tossed out of a second story window..."

The entire time, Carol had been biting her claws, hoping that her instructor would be in a stable condition. Once the ambulance drove off, police started to investigate the scene. Carol was questioned for a moment, but didn't have enough evidence to supply. So she was able to go home.

However, something didn't sit well with her. Was it the strange situation that Neera was put in? Fear out of what could've caused that? "..." After a moment or two, she dismissed it. After all, someone had the gall to hurt Neera Li of Shang Tu-in Shang Mu no less. That alone was enough to put someone on every wanted list in _both_ kingdoms. _"Heh. Somebody's in trouble..."_ Carol thought to herself, slightly amused by the thought of some wimpy criminal being caught. Though, she didn't want to stand by idly. Her habit of being passive was something that she felt she needed to break. _"Need to go ask her what happened..."_ And without hesitation, she made a beeline for the nearest hospital.

* * *

Nearby, on a rooftop...

"...That was the wrong target. And you weren't even supposed to engage. You were supposed to observe."

The skunk girl from before was the culprit to the mishap. Unfortunately for her, her actions fell flat in the face of her superior. "I-I'm sorry, sir. I just got...so _pissed_ at that panda chick that I just had to-"

"That panda just so happens to be the Chief Officer of Shang Tu. I can't...stress enough how utterly ridiculous that was for you to do. Playing an entitled brat means staying in character, and you can't even do that right."

As it turns out, it was all a ruse. The persona that the skunk had taken on was a disguise more than anything else. And it was all a part of a plan. A plan that, unfortunately, had gone horribly wrong. "I'm sorry, sir-I'll try harder!"

The 'sir' whom she was responding to, was none other than Spade, the leader of the Red Scarves. The entire operation was a test to see how well the skunk girl could not only blend into her environment, but also carry out a mission. And that did not go as planned. "Hrmmm..." Spade grabbed the bridge of his nose-face?-and sighed. "You should. But you are aware of what happens when you fail. Isn't that right, Alexa?"

Alexa-the skunk girl-froze, shocked as she feared for what would await her.

* * *

At the palace of Shang Mu...

"Mayor Zao!"

The somewhat short ruler of the bustling city was at his desk, signing over some paperwork That is, until one of his guards had interrupted him. "GAH! How many times, Jin-soon!How many times have I told you to _knock_ first!" He slammed his pen down on the table, standing in his seat so his guard would be able to properly see him. "This better be important."

A quick bow, and the guard cut right to the chase. "My apologies for interrupting sir, but we've just received word that Neera Li of Shang Tu had been in a horrible accident near the shopping think someone planned it."

Zao's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Crime was one thing. But a crime against a public official from another city in _his_ city? "What?! Wh-put our best men on it! I can't afford to lose publicity because some nutjob decided it would be a greeaaaaat idea to go ahead and do something to someone important from another nation!" He jumped off his chair, and walked over to the guard. "Details."

"W-we don't know what happened exactly," the guard explained, "all we know is that someone pushed her out of a window in the mall and-"

"Waitwaitwaitwait..." Zao held his hands up, urging his guard to stop. "Is there...any evidence perchance?"

"None. Local law enforcement questioned witnesses-even that green cat-"

That got Zao's attention, and he abruptly shouted, "Hold it! That sounds familiar-was she wearing a red scarf?"

"I dunno, mayb-"

"Excellent! Bring her to me at once!"

The guard wasn't entirely sure of what his leader was saying. "Uh, Mayor..?"

"Uh, gooooo! Go, go go, shoo, out!" Zao pushed him out of his office doors, "The sooner you bring her here and we can handle this, the less _I_ have to worry about losing the election!"

 _+5 CONFIDENCE_

"...if you're sure."

Zao closed the doors on the guard and turned around. For a moment he lost his usual flair and grin, taking a moment to think seriously over what he had just been told. _"Well now this is just great. Some idiot wants to ruin my reputation now, eh? Well they have another thing coming!"_


	20. Not So Hospitable

Chapter Twenty: Not So Hospitable

After a lengthy amount of paperwork, and several animals trying to flood the hospital for news stories on Neera's injury, the panda woman was able to rest somewhat. Her left leg was done up in a harness because of the break she had endured from the fall. That along with her right arm, and a neck brace was what kept her body stable. Through it all she looked positively bored. As if there was literally anything else she would rather be doing at the moment. Fortunately for her, there were healing baths located in the hospital that were similar to the ones in Shang Tu's palace. She just needed to be transported there. The only reason why she hadn't been taken there by now was because of the plethora of reporters that were trying to flood her with questions.

 _"How much longer must I suffer..."_ she thought to herself before suddenly hearing a knock at the door. Her ears twitched. The last thing she wanted was to deal with any sort of riffraff from _more_ visitors. "Go aw-" she paused. Looking at the door for a second made her focus in on the silhouette of the person outside. A familiar cat-shaped head with huge ears. Carol no doubt.

And as expected, the green wildcat burst in moments later, quickly shutting the door behind herself to keep others out. With her back to the door, she started panting heavily. "Phew..."

"Please. For the love of the Dragons please tell me you weren't followed." Neera said.

Carol stood up, dusting herself off from all the running. "Nah, don't worry. If anyone tried to follow _me_ they must be crazy~" she made a wide grin, showing off her teeth.

"I see...anyway..." Neera sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "I appreciate the fact that you came so quickly. What with all the shenanigans having to do with the news."

Carol more or less casually hopped onto Neera's hospital bedside table, kicking her legs back and forth. "Well, you're my teacher. Why wouldn't I come by to see if you're ok?" She grinned again. On the inside, Carol was more than worried. Who could possibly get the upper hand on _her_ and manage to mess her up this badly? Whoever it was sounded pretty tough.

Which was naturally Carol's favorite.

Still, she felt the need to ask. "So...um. What exactly happened?"

Neera's gaze shifted over to Carol, and she began to explain. "I went to the washroom and-"

"'Washroom'?" Carol repeated, letting out a purr, "Pff, who calls it _that_ anymore?"

"Ugh..." Neera rolled her eyes. Deep down, she applauded Carol's humor and optimism. It was a trait the panda woman heavily lacked. Partially a reason why she was never in a good mood. "Are you going to let me finish?" She asked, still completely serious as always.

"Haha. Sorry." Carol made a 'zip my lips closed' gesture with her left hand, letting Neera continue.

And she went on, giving more details, "After doing my business, I heard a strange tapping noise. I went to the window and found nothing. Out of nowhere, I turn around and get hit in the face with something the size of a watermelon, and fall out of the window. That's when you found me."

Mulling over the words, Carol paused to think on it. Where did she see that sort of tactic before? "..." She let out a small hiss. Sadly, there was nothing that she could think of to reflect a situation like that. "I know it's not an assassination...but what..."

For a half-second, Neera had a small smile on her face. But it quickly went away. "Don't needlessly stress yourself. Something like this was obviously impromptu. Otherwise I wouldn't have been thrown in a such a crude manner. I'll just have to be extra careful."

"You sure, ma'am...?" Carol asked with a high level of concern. Her ears drooped to emphasize this.

"Are you questioning my statement?" Neera raised an eyebrow.

"N-no ma'am!"

And the panda woman did her best to hold back laughing. This was the only was she knew how to try an attempt at humor. "That was a joke. I'm off duty, remember?"

"Oh yeah...hehe. So what're you gonna do now?"

Another sigh exited Neera. "Well, I need to be transported to the healing bath down the hall. That is, if I'm not swarmed by the copius amounts of curious eyes."

That's when Carol had an idea. "Hey, I'll take you there. And I'll cut down anyone who gets in our way~" She showed off her claws.

Neera gave Carol a piercing stare with a flat look.

"Hey, hey, hey..." she put her hands to her sides, and shot a wink in return. "Relatively speaking~"

Closing her eyes, Neera shook her head in mock disgust. As much as she didn't like it, there wasn't really much else in terms of options. If there was one good thing about this, however, is that at least Carol was a female taking her to the healing bath and not the doctor. One awkward situation avoided! "Just...hurry, please."

"Alrighty~" Without hesitation, the wildcat immediately jumped behind the hospital bed, trying to find any sort of way to move her. Then, her eyes locked on the button's that adjust the bed. "Oooh, maybe thi-"

"No."

Carol snorted, and laughed. "Joking. But seriously, how'm I gonna get you there?"

"Ugh...maybe try-I don't know-carrying me?" Neera raised her eyebrow again.

"Ohhhh...that makes much more sense." Carol realized what she was supposed to do, and undid the harness in which Neera's leg was held up with. She then proceeded to pick her up, holding Neera under her back and legs. "Ooh, this reminds me of that one movie Lilac had us watch."

Just the idea of a movie in which the position she was currently held in was filmed gave Neera a case of cringe. "Oh no..." she slapped her hand against her forehead. "Just take me to the room, please."

"Alright, alright..." Carol made a cat grin, and carried her out.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the front desk of the hospital, Zao had arrive with a pair of guards at his side. One of them was carrying a small step stool. "Ahem-make way for your ruler, citizens!" Those who were in the room-who weren't patients-bowed to Zao upon his entry. Once he made it to the front desk, he came up a bit short. So his guard placed the stool down, allowing him to be at eye level with the raccoon woman behind the desk. "Ahem."

The raccoon realized she was being addressed, and quickly scrambled ot get everything on her desk in order. "O-oh! M-mayor Zao!" She quickly got up from her seat to bow, bumping her head on the underside of the table on her way back up. "Ow-um...what brings you here?"

"Yes, has Ms. Neera Li arrived?" Zao questioned the receptionist.

She straightened her glasses while quickly flipping through some files. "Uhm...uh...o-oh, her eit is! Room two-sixtheen-teen! Excuse me..."

In response, Zao gave her a wide grin. "Excellent! Thank you, madam!" And without another word, he hopped off of his stool, and began walking through the halls to find the officer.

"Ugh!" The raccoon at the front desk was too nervous to think. She quickly took a breath from an inhaler, and looked over the file once more. "...Wait! It's room two _seventeen!"_

* * *

Back with Carol and Neera, they were having trouble finding the room with the healing bath. Simply because Carol didn't have much understanding of this hospital's layout. "Uhhh..."

"You passed my room three times," Neera's eyes narrowed, "Do you even know where to go?"

"I uh..." As if hoping the answer would jump out at her, Carol started looking around the halls. However, something else caught her attention. Something from the other end of the hall.

"There she is! Neera Li, we have some questions!"

"What happened up there?"

"Was it dangerous?"

Carol's pupil's dilated. The reporters had somehow managed to follow them through the halls of the hospital, and were just ahead at the end of the hall. "...Aw come on! Does this place have cardboard security?!"

Neera's expression didn't change upon seeing the reporters. She only had two words to say. "Run. Now."


End file.
